


my heart is too big for just one of you

by lastoneleft, splendidlyimperfect



Series: i'm with them [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Foursome - M/M/M/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Porn with Feelings, Post-Coital Cuddling, Relationship Negotiation, Roommates, Shameless Smut, Sleepy Cuddles, Sting is a Good Boy who likes to get wrecked and is also loved very deeply, Sting is a clueless sweetheart, They're all just so in love with each other, Tumblr: FTLGBTales, but kind of idiots about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-20 14:42:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16557701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastoneleft/pseuds/lastoneleft, https://archiveofourown.org/users/splendidlyimperfect/pseuds/splendidlyimperfect
Summary: After a drunken game of 'Never Have I Ever', Gray and Natsu have been particularly flirty. But when Sting and Rogue walk in on Natsu and Gray, it starts something they never expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is basically coming from some late-night ramblings between me and lastoneleft, but I am now fully invested in this... OT4? 
> 
> It starts out smutty but there's fluff and a plot and stuff in the later chapters.

If you’d asked Sting earlier what his weekend plans were, he probably wouldn’t have answered with  _getting fucked over the couch by his roommate’s boyfriend_ _._ Yet here he was, bent over and groaning as Gray pulled his hair.  

It had started innocently enough. Natsu had become flirtier than usual, although that wasn’t too out of character for him. Then Gray had started making suggestive comments, and when Rogue had caught him wandering around the apartment once in just his underwear, Gray had just grinned and winked.  

Then there had been the incredibly suggestive game of 'Never Have I Ever', where they'd all been pretty drunk but Sting's hazy memories definitely included several overt sexual innuendos.

Rogue and Sting had also found themselves walking in on Gray and Natsu making out more and more often, to the point where Sting just kind of expected to see them with their tongues down each other's throats when he opened the front door. What he  _didn’t_ expect was for him and Rogue to come back from a movie on Friday night to find Natsu riding Gray on the sofa.   

“Um,” Sting said, freezing with one shoe off and his hand on the wall. The couch faced the far wall and Natsu stared at Sting as he groaned and tugged on Gray’s hair. “We, uh...” Sting glanced back at Rogue, who was gazing at Natsu with pink cheeks.  

“T-told you,” Natsu groaned, leaning down and biting Gray’s neck. “Perfect... ahh, timing.”  

“Wh...” Sting trailed off, unable to take his eyes off the curve of Natsu’s shoulders and the way sweaty strands of hair stuck to his dark skin. Of course he was attracted to his roommate – who wouldn’t be? And it wasn’t as if Rogue didn’t know it; he wasn’t the jealous type.   

“There’s plenty of r-room on the couch,” Gray said, leaning his head back and moaning as Natsu pressed kisses across his throat. “If you... aah, wanted to join in.”  

Join...in? Rogue’s eyes widened and he looked at Sting, not with revulsion, but with interest.  

 “What... do...” Sting floundered. The sounds of Natsu and Gray groaning and moving against each other were making Sting feel incredibly uncomfortable in his already-tight jeans. He couldn’t deny it wasn’t something he’d thought about before. He and Rogue had even talked about it, but it had always been just a fantasy. 

“Do you...” Sting looked at Rogue, glancing down at his boyfriend’s pants and realizing that Rogue was having the same problem. Behind him, Natsu’s moaning was getting louder, interspersed with curses and Gray’s name. And then— 

“St-sting,” Natsu gasped, dropping his head to rest on Gray’s collarbone. “R-rogue, fuck, p-please.” Both boys flushed darkly and Sting felt any semblance of apprehension he’d previously had fade away as he grabbed Rogue’s wrist and dragged him over to the couch.  

“Better,” Natsu whispered, reaching out for Sting. 

“Fuck,” Sting whispered as Natsu dragged him down into a kiss. He moaned, letting go of Rogue’s hand and fisting his fingers in Natsu’s pink hair as Natsu bit down on his lower lip. “Wh-”  

“Talk later,” Gray panted, leaning back and grabbing Rogue’s arm, then pulling Rogue forward to kiss him upside down. Rogue returned the kiss enthusiastically, running his fingers up Gray’s jaw. “You both okay with this?” Gray's fingers travelled to the buttons of Rogue’s shirt and played with them while waiting for an answer.  

“Yeah,” Rogue breathed, at the same time that Sting moaned an enthusiastic  _yes_ into Natsu’s mouth.  

“Good,” Gray said, tugging on the buttoned shirt. “Get your ass over here.”  

Rogue complied immediately, shedding his button-down and shirt as he moved around and knelt down on the couch next to Gray. Gray pulled him in against for a kiss, hard and sloppy as he thrust up into Natsu. Rogue’s hands hesitated for a moment, then one came up to Gray’s hair and the other to drift down Natsu’s hip.  

Gray moved his lips down to Rogue’s neck, biting and sucking at his skin as he brought a hand down to Rogue’s jeans, undoing the button and tugging at them. “Off,” he murmured, panting as Natsu ground down on him. Natsu was still kissing Sting, who was still leaning over the back of the couch. Rogue shuffled out of his pants as quickly as he could, kicking them to the floor and then moaning as Gray wrapped a hand around his cock.  

“Fuck,” he whispered, fingers tightening on Natsu’s hip. Gray hummed and moved up to kiss him for a moment, then leaned over and nudged Natsu out of the way take over kissing Sting. Rogue whimpered as Natsu turned to him, pulling him in and pressing their lips together. He could taste Sting’s cinnamon gum on Natsu’s lips, but Natsu felt so different.  

“Sting’s wearing too many clothes,” Natsu said after a moment, pulling away from Rogue and reaching up to grab the hem of Sting’s shirt. “C’mere.”  

Natsu slid off of Gray with a soft  _oof_ as Sting came around to the front of the couch. Gray turned to Rogue and pushed him down on the couch, straddling his hips and leaning down to kiss him. Natsu stood up and helped Sting tug his shirt over his head.  

“Okay?” Natsu asked, rubbing his thumbs over Sting’s nipples and following his gaze to where Gray had Rogue pinned to the couch and was kissing him, grinding their cocks together between them. “We can stop if—”  

“No,” Sting breathed, exhaling sharply as Natsu pinched at his nipples again. “’s fuckin’ hot as hell.” Natsu hummed in agreement, leaning down and replacing his fingers with his lips. Sting groaned, trailing his fingers down Natsu’s back to grab his ass.  

“I’ve been thinkin’ bout this for a while,” Natsu breathed, standing up again and reaching for the button on Sting's jeans. “Don’t think I haven’t seen you staring at my ass.” Sting flushed, then growled and pulled Natsu in for a messy kiss as Natsu shoved his pants down.  

When Natsu dropped to his knees and started sucking his cock, Sting was convinced he was dreaming.  _Fuck_ , Natsu was good at this. Sting gripped Natsu’s hair tightly, feeling off-kilter as he watched Gray spread Rogue’s legs and start to kiss his thighs and stomach. Rogue’s head was thrown back and his cheeks were flushed, and Sting couldn’t imagine anything sexier.  

“You... this...” Sting cursed as Natsu took him in until his nose pressed against Sting’s stomach. Natsu’s fingers ran up and down Sting’s thighs, mirroring Gray’s movements on Rogue. “Shit, f-fuck...”  

“He’s good at that, hey?” Gray broke the kiss and turned around, giving Natsu a fond look before tugging Rogue up and pulling him toward Sting. Rogue reached out for Sting and pulled him in for a kiss, tasting like spearmint with a faint hint of Gray’s cigarette smoke.  

Natsu moved one hand to Rogue’s thigh, pulling him in so he was standing next to Sting and then sliding off Sting’s cock and onto Rogue’s. Rogue groaned, digging his nails into Sting’s shoulder as he panted and ran a hand through Natsu’s hair.  

“How far do you wanna take this?” Gray moved behind Sting, running his hands up the blonde man’s chest and kissing the back of his neck. He thrust his cock up against Sting’s ass, gripping his hips and pulling Sting tighter against him. “You can say ‘no’ anytime.”  

“Fuck,” Sting breathed, jerking slightly as Natsu moved back over to him for a few seconds, then returned to Rogue, who exhaled shakily and thrust his hips forward. “I want...” Sting turned to Rogue. ”What’s... aah, fuck... what’s okay with y-you?” Rogue pulled him in and kissed him, then reached out to Gray. He grabbed a fistful of Gray’s hair and turned to kiss him again, and the sound of the two of them panting into each other’s mouths over Sting’s shoulder had him nearly coming right then.  

“I wanna watch him fuck you,” Rogue breathed as he let go of Gray. Sting groaned, stroking Natsu’s hair, who had moved over to him again. Talking about this in the privacy of their bedroom, when it had just been a fantasy – that was one thing. Now that they were in the middle of it, with Natsu sucking his cock and Gray running a gentle finger over his entrance, he realized that his fantasies were nothing compared to the real thing.  

“Bend over the couch,” Gray murmured in Sting’s ear, nudging his hips toward the armrest. Sting’s heart was beating so hard he felt like he was going to die as Natsu moved off him and he leaned over the arm of the couch, spreading his legs and resting his hands on the cushion. He groaned as he felt wet fingers sliding across him, and gasped as Gray pressed inside. “Fuck, you’re tight,” Gray murmured, leaning over and wrapping an arm around Sting’s chest. “Been a while?”  

Sting could only moan in response, pushing his hips backward as Gray added another finger and began rubbing his thumb over Sting’s nipples.  

“How ‘bout you?” Natsu asked Rogue, standing up and pulling the dark-haired man toward him. He kissed Rogue roughly, biting down on his lip and digging his fingers into Rogue’s hips. Rogue responded in kind, pulling on Natsu’s hair until Natsu gasped and pulled back. “Wanna fuck me?”  

“Hell yes,” Rogue growled, pushing Natsu onto the couch until he was lying on his back on the cushions, nearly underneath Sting, whose knees were pressed against the armrest.  

“Mm, good idea,” Natsu murmured, pushing himself further back until his head touched the arm of the couch and he could take Sting’s cock into his mouth again. Sting gasped, bucking his hips forward, then pushing back again onto Gray’s fingers.  _Oh, gods._  

“Here.” Gray tossed Rogue a condom, then returned to kissing Sting’s back and shoulders while stretching him open. “We’re both clean, but use it this time.”  

 _This time,_ Sting thought through the haze of pleasure.  _They want to do it again._  

Rogue nodded and tore the package open, rolling the condom on and then leaning over Natsu. He slid two fingers into Natsu, who moaned and pulled off Sting’s cock.  

“Nggghh I’m already good from... ahh, from Gray,” Natsu groaned, reaching up and running his fingers through Rogue's hair. “C’mon.” He nudged Rogue with his knee, urging him forward and then arching his back and crying out when Rogue pushed into him. “F-fuck, ahh... shit that’s good.” Rogue rocked his hips back and thrust forward again, groaning and digging his fingers into Natsu’s thighs.  

“You ready?” Gray asked, continuing to kiss Sting’s neck and thrust his fingers in an out. “’cause fuck, I am...” Sting nodded, exhaling sharply when Gray removed his fingers and then slowly pushed his cock inside Sting instead.  

“Fucking hell,” Gray whispered, wrapping his hands around Sting’s hips and thrusting hard. Sting gasped, biting his lip. “He’s tighter than you, babe.” Natsu didn’t reply, just made an incoherent noise as Rogue rocked into him over and over.  

Sting felt breathless, bracing his hands on either side of Natsu’s chest and tensing at each thrust of Gray’s hips. It felt different from Rogue – rougher, but still amazing. When Sting looked up, Rogue’s face was inches from his, and Sting grabbed the back of Rogue’s neck and pulled him in for a sloppy kiss.  

“This is... ahhh, fuck,” Rogue gasped against Sting’s lips, grabbing Natsu’s thighs tighter. Sting groaned in agreement, then broke the kiss to lean down and take Natsu’s cock into his mouth.  

 _“_ _Shiiiit_ _,”_  Natsu cried out, pushing himself up on his elbow and returning the favor. Natsu’s mouth was so hot, and with Gray pounding into him from behind, Sting knew he was almost at his peak. He took Natsu as deep as he could, pulling back and sucking hard on the head.  

“Sting, I’m...” Gray ground out, reaching down and grabbing Sting’s hair. The sharp pain caused Sting to groan around Natsu’s cock and then Natsu was shouting, fisting the fabric of the couch and spilling onto Sting’s tongue. Rogue followed seconds later, thrusting hard and panting heavily as he shuddered and dug his nails into Natsu’s thighs.  

“C'mon, Gray,” Natsu whispered, reaching up around Sting to touch Gray’s hip as Sting swallowed and shuddered. “C’mon love, come for me.”    

 _“_ _Fuuuck_ _,”_  Gray cursed, then let out a long, low moan as he slammed his hips into Sting’s ass. Natsu returned his lips to Sting’s cock and that was all it took for Sting to come, grasping Rogue’s shoulders and kissing him messily as Natsu swallowed him down.  

Sting collapsed forward on his forearms, nearly squishing Natsu, who slid out of the way. Sting took several deep breaths and then sat up shakily, leaning on Rogue, and Natsu immediately flopped onto his lap. Gray slid onto the floor in front of Rogue’s legs, leaning his head back and humming as Rogue ran fingers through his hair.   

A comfortable silence descended over the four of them as their breathing and heartrates all slowly returned to normal. Natsu lay face-up across Sting’s lap and Sting brushed sweaty strands of pink hair out of his face, making gentle eye contact that was surprisingly not awkward.  

Eventually Gray broke the silence as he pressed back into Rogue’s gentle fingers in his hair. “That was...”  

“Yeah,” Sting breathed, leaning back into the couch. “How long’ve you two been planning this?” Natsu had the decency to look sheepish.  

“Like... a couple months?” He looked over at Gray who had reached over and grabbed his hand. “We thought maybe the, uh, the flirting and the making out would clue you in.” Sting groaned, shaking his head. “So, y’know... drastic measures.”  

“Huh,” Rogue said, still slightly out of breath. “Well. Good.”  

Natsu laughed, tipping his head back to look at Rogue. “Speechless, huh?” he teased, running a hand up Rogue’s arm. “Gray usually is too when he’s done with me.”  

“Shut the fuck up,” Gray grumbled, humming happily as Rogue’s fingers combed through his hair. “Mmm, that feels nice.” He glanced over at Natsu. “You never play with my hair, you asshole.”  

“Pfff,” Natsu replied, making a soft noise as Sting’s hand moved down his side and back up again. “I do, you just fall asleep right away ‘cause you’re a hundred.” Sting laughed, shaking his head. The familiar banter between the two of them was reassuring, like they didn’t just break a hundred rules and irreparably destroy their friendship for a bit of fun. 

Another silence filled the air, this one a little less comfortable, a little less certain.  

“Do you—”  

“Is this—”  

Natsu and Sting started talking at the same time, but Sting shook his head, gesturing for Natsu to go ahead.  

“You guys tired? Or you wanna watch a movie or something?” He shifted uncomfortably. “Either way I need a blanket or clothes, it’s fuckin’ cold in here.” Sting hummed in agreement, looking over at Rogue. Should they just pretend that everything was normal? Or— 

“It doesn’t have to be weird.” Gray interrupted Sting’s racing thoughts and when he looked up, Gray was gazing at him intently. “We all enjoyed it, we – I mean me and Natsu – want to do it again.” Sting felt his cheeks flush, warmth creeping up through his chest and neck. “Do you?”  

“Yes,” Rogue replied immediately, running his fingernails over Gray’s scalp. Gray moaned and tipped his head back, closing his eyes. “I - we...?” He looked at Sting, raising his eyebrows in a silent question. Sting swallowed, trying to sort out his feelings. Out of everything that was racing through his mind, the most obvious things were contentment and... trust.  

“Yeah,” he said softly, leaning over to kiss Rogue. It was soft and sweet, nothing like earlier, and Sting leaned his forehead against Rogue’s for a moment. They would have to talk, later, but this felt... right. ”Yeah, we do.”  

“Awesome,” Natsu said, yawning and turning to kiss Sting’s stomach. “I need PJs. What time is it, anyway?”  

Gray squinted at the clock on the stove. ”Almost one?” Natsu groaned, rubbing his face.  

“I gotta be at work at six,” he grumbled, pushing himself up off Sting’s lap. “Bedtime, then?” He shot a look at Gray, who shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head at Sting and Rogue. “Do, uh... you guys wanna sleep with us?” Sting raised an eyebrow and Natsu rolled his eyes. “Not like that, dumbass. Bed.”  

“Uh...” Sting looked over at Rogue, who nodded. “Yeah? S-sure?”  

“Are we all gonna fit on there?” Gray asked, pushing himself to his feet and grabbing Natsu to pull him up from the couch. “I know it’s a king but still.”  

“We’ll make it work,” Natsu insisted, kissing Gray’s nose and heading toward the bedroom. “C’mon, you two. I’m tired.”  

Sting and Rogue sat on the couch for a minute after Gray and Natsu had left, looking at each other with slightly stunned expressions. Sting grabbed Rogue’s hand and twined their fingers together as Rogue stood and tugged Sting toward their room.  

“Did that... actually just happen?” Sting asked, although the slight ache in his ass told him that yes, it had. “Did we... fuck our roommates?”  

“Mm,” Rogue replied, opening the door to their room and heading over to the dresser, then tossing a pair of sweatpants at Sting. Sting pulled them on, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head a little in disbelief. “You okay?” Rogue asked, coming up and kissing his cheek.  

“Y-yeah,” Sting said, wrapping an arm around Rogue’s waist. “Surprisingly? Yes?” He exhaled, turning to bury his face in Rogue’s neck. “Are  _we_... okay?”  

“Of course,” Rogue murmured, pressing a kiss to Sting’s hair. “We’ve talked about it before, love.” Sting made a soft noise. They had – neither of them were into the idea of opening their relationship up to other people, to strangers, but having fun with their roommates had been something they’d discussed. “You wanna stay here tonight instead?”  

“No,” Sting said, pulling back and kissing Rogue on the cheek. “Let’s go cuddle.”  

Natsu and Gray's room was similar to theirs, except their bed was a king instead of a queen. Gray insisted that it was because Natsu gave off too much body heat and he needed to get away from the clingy cuddling in the middle of the night. Natsu always pouted at that and insisted it wasn’t true.  

“C’mere, you two,” Natsu said. He was already in bed, looking half asleep. Sting slipped under the covers hesitantly, sliding over until he was nearly nose-to-nose with Natsu. Rogue moved around to the other side and wrapped an arm around Natsu’s waist, snuggling up to his back. Natsu mumbled happily and reached out to pull Sting closer to him.  

“Good?” Gray asked, appearing from the bathroom in nothing but a pair of boxers. Sting looked up and nodded, and Gray slid in behind him, tucking one arm under the pillow and wrapping the other around Sting’s waist. Rogue reached down and tugged the blanket up over all of them, and Sting sighed happily as he felt Gray press a kiss to the back of his neck, then tuck a knee between Sting’s legs. Gray’s hand made gentle circles over Sting’s stomach and Sting hummed softly.  

Natsu tipped his head up and kissed Sting gently, fingers touching Sting’s cheek and then running through his hair. “Night,” he murmured, taking Sting’s hand and holding it in his. Rogue reached over and ran his fingers over Sting’s arm, then snuggled up closer to Natsu’s back and yawned.  

“Night,” Sting replied, closing his eyes and feeling himself start to drift off. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was the comfortable weight of everyone around him, and the gentle sensation of Gray’s lips on his neck.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are fun in their foursome, but Sting's a bit confused about feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the fluff! ^_^

Gray was right – it wasn’t weird. 

The next morning, they all woke up in a tangle of legs and sheets, sleepy smiles leading to soft kisses. Breakfast was friendly as usual, but Sting noticed little touches now – Natsu's hand brushing his hip as he leaned across Sting to grab the cereal, Gray resting his ankle against Rogue’s at the table. 

That night they all watched a movie together, and when they sat down on the couch, Natsu immediately grabbed a cushion and flopped down in Sting’s lap, while Gray wrapped an arm around Rogue without a second thought. Sting was about to say something when he realized that he didn’t mind at all. Instead he started running his fingers through Natsu’s hair, which earned him something that sounded like a purr. 

After the movie, Gray looked at the two of them. “You coming to bed?” he asked, face open and unreserved. Sting looked at Rogue, who shrugged, then let Gray pull him up and followed him to the bedroom. 

“You okay?” Natsu asked, sitting up and giving Sting a look he’d never seen before. He blinked, startled when Natsu reached up and brushed a hand across his cheek. “C’mere.” Natsu tugged Sting in for a kiss, soft and gentle, nothing like yesterday’s desperate passion. Sting melted into it, running a hand through Natsu’s hair and pulling him closer. 

“If you two are done making out, get your asses in here,” Gray called, leaning out of the bedroom with his toothbrush between his teeth. “You can kiss in bed.” 

Nobody slept for several hours, instead spending the time exploring each other’s bodies in several creative and very satisfying ways. Sting came more times that night than he ever had before, and he learned how each of them could make him feel incredible, and how he could return the favor. 

He already knew Rogue well – knew that he enjoyed having his neck kissed, liked his hair being touched, liked being opened slowly and, depending on his mood, liked soft thrusts or being slammed into the mattress. Rogue liked to take others too, usually gently, while biting or kissing or slowly teasing. 

Natsu was easy to read. He liked being bitten, pinned down, scratched, restrained; being fingered hard or fucked harder. He gave as good as he got, and was happy to rough up Sting if he was in the mood, which was often. Natsu talked a lot when they fucked, would whisper things in Sting’s ear, tell him how good he felt or how well he took it.  

Gray was more reserved, but loved to dominate Sting – tell him what to do, how to move, when to come. He liked having his nipples bitten and his hair pulled, but mostly he liked Sting on his back with his legs spread saying  _please_ and  _fuck_ and  _harder._

They slept in the same bed every night after that. 

Eventually, Sting and Rogue moved their toiletries into the ensuite bathroom – it was bigger than the one they’d been using anyway, and it was easier if they were all sleeping in the same bed. Clothing started to migrate over until it just made sense to move the dresser. The second bedroom slowly transformed into an office, bed untouched except for storage. 

Two weeks after the new arrangement, Sting got up to use the washroom at night and heard the TV. He peeked out into the living room and saw Gray on the couch, half-asleep and watching a documentary on Netflix. 

“When did you come out here?” Sting asked, settling down on the couch next to Gray but not touching. “What’s going on? You okay?” 

“Mm. Threeish?” Gray yawned and rubbed his face. “Just too warm. I don’t wanna touch people sometimes, but I feel bad going to the other bedroom.” He smiled sleepily up at Sting, but didn’t move closer. “You can go back to bed.” 

The next morning at breakfast Sting stole Gray’s phone, typed in a few words, then handed it back. “They make bigger beds,” he said, tapping the website he’d found. Gray frowned, scrolled up and down, made a happy sound, then started typing. 

“Thanks, love,” he said, pulling Sting and kissing him softly. Sting felt something flutter in his chest. “It’ll be here next week.” 

* * *

Sting wasn’t sure when the assumed-to-be purely sexual relationship between the four of them turned into something else. 

The bed had probably been a good sign, one that he had conveniently missed by appreciating how good it felt being fucked into it. He figured he could be forgiven for overlooking that. The clothes and toiletries should have been a good giveaway, but he’d just looked at it as convenience and nothing more.

Maybe it was when they stopped calling them “double dates” and just called them “dates”. They would order for each other at the restaurant and rest feet against each other under the table, then all hold hands in the darkness of the movie theatre. 

It could have been the time Sting called out, “bye babe, love you,” as he was leaving for work, and three voices had replied with, ”love you, too”. Sting hadn’t even realized what had happened until he’d gotten on the bus, and his face had turned an interesting shade of pink.

At any rate, something had changed, and now Sting was faced with whether or not he was ready to admit it out loud. 

“Sting, is that you?” Sting turned in the Starbucks lineup to see one of his old school friends, Rufus, waving at him. Natsu peeked over Sting’s shoulder curiously, hand still resting on the small of Sting’s back. 

“Hey man, how’s it going?” Sting let Rufus pull him into a hug, then leaned back and inspected his friend. “Shit, your hair got long.” Rufus laughed, pushing it over his shoulder. ”How've you been?” School had ended six months ago, and they hadn’t seen each other since.

“Good, working part time, nothing too exciting.” Rufus nodded to Natsu and reached out his hand. “I’m Rufus, I went to school with Sting.” 

“Oh, sorry,” Sting said quickly, stepping closer to Natsu. “This is Natsu, my...” he trailed off, suddenly hit by the fact that he didn’t know what to say. Friend? That wasn’t right. And neither was ‘friend with benefits’ because a) that wouldn’t be any of Rufus’ business anyway and b) that didn’t describe what they had. There was something in his mind that insisted that he knew exactly what to say, but he couldn—

“Boyfriend,” Natsu said, looking at Sting with a raised eyebrow that indicated that it was a question, and he was, in fact, allowed to disagree. A huge sense of relief flooded through Sting and he nodded, grabbing Natsu’s hand and squeezing. 

“Oh!” Rufus looked somewhat surprised, but smiled regardless. “I’d assumed you were still with Rogue, my mistake.” 

“I am,” Sting said quickly, not willing to pretend that his relationship with Rogue didn’t exist. He could sense the confusion radiating from Rufus and he sighed. “I’m, uh, with both of them.” 

“And Gray,” Natsu supplied helpfully. Sting could tell that Rufus was trying to keep his face neutral, but he wasn’t very successful. 

“It’s not a... traditional relationship,” Sting admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Well, if you’re happy,” Rufus said. He still looked a bit confused, but his smile was authentic when he grabbed his coffee and waved goodbye. 

* * *

 

That night at supper, Sting looked around the table. Gray had made malai kofta at Natsu’s request, which Natsu was busy praising as, “Better than Nanni’s but don’t tell her or she’ll disown me.” 

“She’d disown you anyway for dating a guy,” Rogue replied with his mouth full. His grandparents were also stubbornly traditional, but his parents were much more understanding and had easily accepted Sting into their lives. 

“Hn, imagine her face if she found out I was dating  _three_ guys,” Natsu added, shoveling more rice onto his place. Gray snorted. 

Sting blinked a few times, holding his fork in midair. “Are... we?” he asked slowly, looking around at the three of them. Gray frowned at him. “Dating, I mean. It’s just, we never really, um... we didn’t talk about it? And the sex, yeah, that’s, but— then the bed, okay, and the, um, the dates? I guess? But like we didn’t ever have, y’know, a t-talk?” By the time he’d finished talking his hand was shaking, and he could feel the heat in his face.

“I guess we didn’t,” Gray said slowly, reaching over and resting his hand on Sting’s. “Natsu and I just kind of... assumed, I guess. I’m sorry.” Sting didn’t look up, but he turned his hand so that Gray could hold it properly. 

Sting glanced up at Rogue, who was giving him a soft look from the other side of the table. “Did you...” Rogue sighed. 

“It’s comfortable,” he said, reaching his foot under the table to brush against Sting’s leg. “I like it. I didn’t know if we needed to call it something or not. You seem happy.”

“I... I am,” Sting said quietly. All of the little pieces were coming together now, forming a bigger picture of their relationship. The four of them. Together. “I just...” 

“We could do it all official,” Natsu teased, poking Sting in the side. “Sting, you wanna be our boyfriend?” Sting turned and gave him a look, and Natsu tilted his head back, laughing. “C’mon, I’m serious. Wanna date?” 

“You know I do, asshole,” Sting muttered, punching Natsu in the shoulder. He frowned a bit, rubbing his thumb over Gray’s fingers. Natsu sighed, leaning over and kissing Sting’s cheek. 

“We ran into a friend of Sting’s from college today,” Natsu explained. Both Gray and Rogue nodded in understanding. Rogue reached across the table and took Sting’s hand from Gray. 

“Do we need... rules?” Gray asked hesitantly. He moved his hand down to Sting’s thigh, gently stopping the nervous bouncing. “It’s okay, love, take a breath.” 

Sting’s heart skipped a little at the endearment and he stopped moving his leg, exhaling. “Not, I don’t... I mean, it’s just us, right?” He looked around at them. “It’s not like, open? For other—” 

“No,” replied the other three in unison. 

“Just us,” Natsu said, catching Sting’s gaze. “It’s not just sex. I mean, that’s great, but I – we – care about you a lot.” 

Sting nodded. “I care about all of you too. I’m happy. I just... other people. I mean, how do you say, ‘oh yeah, by the way, can I bring all three of my boyfriends to the work Christmas party’?” Natsu laughed. 

“Christmas is six months away,” he said gently, brushing his nose against Sting’s cheek. Sting leaned his head onto Natsu’s and hummed at the gentle feeling of Rogue’s fingers rubbing his palm. “Plus, I don’t even celebrate Christmas. Let’s worry about that when we get there.” 

“I know,” Sting said softly. “I just...” he trailed off, chewing on his lip. “I like this. I love you guys.” He exhaled shakily – they'd all casually tossed a  _love you babe_ to each other in passing, but it had never been said in deep seriousness like this. “Other people, though...” 

“Fuck ‘em,” Natsu said, grinning, and Gray smacked him on the back of the head. “What the hell was that for?” 

“Don’t brush it off,” Gray said, frowning at Natsu. “Just because you don’t care what other people think doesn’t mean everyone’s the same way.” 

Natsu grumbled but didn’t argue, instead sitting back in his chair. It was quiet for a minute, then Rogue spoke up. 

“We don’t have to figure it all out right now,” he said gently, squeezing Sting’s hand. “But I’m inclined to agree with Natsu. People who love you will support you, other people…” he sighed. “If you don’t want to tell your coworkers we can maintain our previous relationships as covers?” 

Sting hesitated, enjoying the reassuring weight of Gray’s hand on his thigh. Then he shook his head. 

“Well, Rufus was confused, but he didn’t take it… badly?” Sting looked over at Natsu. “I don’t wanna have to lie. If I’m out with one of you, I don’t want to have to say we’re… just friends or something.” 

“Same,” said Natsu. “Although family might be a different story.” 

“Why don’t we save that for another day,” Gray suggested, squeezing Sting’s thigh. “I think Sting’s overwhelmed as it is.” Sting nodded, rubbing his face and yawning. 

Natsu was about to go back to eating when he turned to Sting, frowning. “Is this why you haven’t been sleeping well?” He asked. “You were worried about this?” 

“No?” Sting said quickly, but he’d never been a convincing liar. Natsu’s face dropped and he reached out pulling Sting into a hug. 

“I’m sorry, baby.” Natsu kissed Sting’s head and squeezed him tightly. “We should’ve talked.”

Sting could feel Gray’s fingers on his back and Rogue still holding his hand, and was overwhelmed by a deep sense of rightness and belonging. 

“C’mon, we’re gonna make it up to you,” Natsu said. 

An hour later, curled up on the couch with his boyfriends, Sting wondered how he’d got so lucky. He was wrapped in Gray’s arms, with Rogue leaning on him and Natsu lying across his lap, and the warmth surrounding him made everything feel right. 

Sure, Gray was anal about the colour coding on the calendar, and Natsu forgot things in the microwave all the time, and Rogue got on Sting’s case when he left his laundry inside out. They were chaotic and messy and loud and overwhelming, but they were  _his,_ and he was never letting them go. 


End file.
